FOMC Minutes

A meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee was held in the

offices of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in

Washington on Tuesday, May 10, 1955, at 10:30 a.m.

PRESENT:

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Mr.

Martin, Chairman

Sproul, Vice Chairman

Balderston

Earhart

Fulton

Irons

Leach

Mills

Robertson

Shepardson

Mr. Szymczak

Mr. Vardaman

Mr. Riefler, Secretary

Mr. Thurston, Assistant Secretary

Mr. Solomon, Assistant General Counsel

Mr. Thomas, Economist

Messrs. Daane, Hostetler, Roelse, and

R. A. Young, Associate Economists

Mr. Carpenter, Secretary, Board of Governors

Mr. Sherman, Assistant Secretary, Board of

Governors

Mr. Koch, Assistant Director, Division of

Research and Statistics, Board of Gov

ernors

Mr. Miller, Chief, Government Finance Section,

Division of Research and Statistics, Board

of Governors

Mr. Roosa, Assistant Vice President, Federal

Reserve Bank of New York

Mr. Gaines, Securities Department, Federal

Reserve Bank of New York

Messrs. Erickson, Johns, and Powell, Alternate

Members of the Federal Open Market Committee

Mr. Williams, President of the Federal Reserve

Bank of Philadelphia

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5/10/55

Upon motion duly made and seconded,

and by unanimous vote, the minutes of the

meeting of the Federal Open Market Com

mittee held on March 2, 1955, were ap

proved.

Upon motion duly made and seconded,

and by unanimous vote, the actions of the

executive committee of the Federal Open

Market Committee, as set forth in the

minutes of the meetings of the executive

committee held on March 2, March 15,

March 29, April 12, and April 26, 1955,

were approved, ratified, and confirmed.

Before this meeting there had been sent to the members of the Com

mittee a report of open market operations prepared at the Federal Reserve

Bank of New York covering the period March 2, 1955 to May 4, 1955, inclu

sive, and at this meeting there was distributed a supplementary report

covering commitments executed May 5-9, 1955, inclusive.

Copies of these

reports have been placed in the files of the Federal Open Market Committee.

Upon motion duly made and seconded,

and by unanimous vote the open market

transactions during the period March 2 to

May 9, 1955, inclusive, were approved,

ratified, and confirmed.

At this point members of the Board's staff entered the room for

the purpose of assisting in a review of the economic and credit situation,

presented with chart slides.

A copy of the script of this review sub

sequently was mailed to all members of the Committee.

In opening the review, Mr. Young stated that business recovery is

an accomplished fact; activity is at new high levels.

In the current

quarter gross national product is estimated at an annual rate of $375

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billion, nearly $20 billion above the low of last year and $5 billion

above the mid-1953 peak.

continues.

Abroad,

strong expansion in activity generally

Notwithstanding rapid expansion in

price averages have remained steady.

industrial production,

Some industries are operating at or

close to capacity, and supply shortages have appeared in some industrial

materials and prices of metals have advanced both in domestic and world

markets.

Manpower and industrial resources in this country are generally

ample for growth.

Unemployment,

continues at a high level.

although lower than a few months ago,

Farm markets continue under pressure from large

supplies and excess capacity.

Reflecting advances in consumer buying and

in business orders and output, demand for credit has strengthened and money

rates have risen.

Business, financial, and consumer confidence is

ordinarily high--possibly too high for sound growth.

task of monetary and credit policy is

extra

At this stage, the

to foster stable growth in line with

expanding manpower and industrial resources, at the same time restraining

financial over-commitments and dampening speculative excesses.

In commenting on credit and monetary policy, Mr. Thomas said that

the problems are first,

how much restraint to impose on the developing

credit expansion; and second, what instruments of policy should receive

emphasis.

He noted that the System's policy instruments of regulation are

largely concerned with quantities and with interest rates, but matters of

credit quality may also need to be considered.

The System's policy prob

lems are complicated by heavy borrowing requirements of the Treasury.

seasonal expansion in credit and money for the remainder of 1955 would

Usual

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require over $1-1/4 billion of additional bank reserves, and still

reserves would be needed to foster growth.

more

As in 1952, the System might

meet the problem of strong pressure for bank credit and monetary expan

sion by holding discount rates stable but requiring that a substantial por

tion of member bank reserve needs be met by increases in borrowing from

and repurchase contracts with the Federal Reserve Banks.

An alternative

policy would be to keep member bank borrowing at a relatively low but

still restrictive level, to supply increased reserve demands through open

market purchases, and to exercise restraint through more active use of the

discount rate.

Chairman Martin stated that the economic and credit review pre

sented by the members of the staff provided an excellent background for

the Committee's discussion of its policy and operations.

He noted that

he had been unable to attend the meeting of the executive committee held

on April 26, and he called upon Mr. Sproul for a statement with respect

to the discussion at that meeting which had resulted in the calling of a

meeting of the full Committee for today, and for a statement of his (Mr.

Sproul's) views on the current situation.

Mr. Sproul said that the executive committee meeting on April 26

included a discussion of the directive issued by the full Committee, par

ticularly of clause (b) instructing the executive committee to arrange for

transactions with a view, among other things, "to fostering growth and

stability in the economy by maintaining conditions in the money market

that would encourage recovery and avoid the development of unsustainable

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expansion . . . ."

It

seemed clear at that time, Mr. Sproul said, as it

had in the economic presentation this morning, that recovery had been

completed.

The Committee was no longer in the stage where it

directing policy toward encouraging recovery; its

should be

problem now was to con

duct open market operations and to administer credit policy so as to

foster growth and stability in the economy by maintaining conditions in

the money market which would avoid the development of unsustainable expan

sion.

That was a shift in emphasis rather than in direction, but the execu

tive committee had felt, Mr. Sproul said, that a meeting of the full Com

mittee was needed to consider the situation for the immediate future and

perhaps for the more distant future, and to consider the possible adoption

of different wording for the instruction from the full Committee to the

executive committee for carrying out open market operations.

Mr.

Sproul then made a statement concerning the current situation

substantially as follows:

1.

The facts we have to face, or the assumptions we have to make,

as I see them, and excluding war and major strikes, are about

as follows:

(a)

The economic situation, which improved quite rapidly

during the winter and early spring, as recovery from

the 1953-54 recession was completed, continues to

show strength but may go forward less rapidly during

the next three or four months. Demands for credit,

in the aggregate, given such orderly economic expan

sion, would be largely related to seasonal require

ments and secular growth, with the usual speculative

fringes.

There is, of course, the alternate possibil

ity that inflationary pressures may build up in a

situation such as the present, but as yet there is no

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convincing evidence of a spiralling upward

movement of a speculative character. The

ability of the economy to produce a larger

volume of goods and services--and leisurerepresenting less than full current utiliza

tion of all available men and machines is

some insurance against such a spiral.

(b) There are still the same question marks about

the third quarter of the year (although they

are smaller than they were), related primarily

to shifting seasonal patterns--or possible

temporary overproduction--whichever you want

to call it, in automobiles, steel, and hous

ing. Some decline in these industries might

be healthy, removing froth in the economy, if

the decline is offset by strength in other

areas as now seems likely.

(c) The particular areas in which credit expansion

has caused and may cause some concern, are

consumer credit, mortgage credit, and stock mar

ket credit. And we shall have to be on the

watch, now, for diversion of too much credit

into the area of inventory accumulation.

(d) Except for this latter use of credit, which

does not yet seem to have done more than keep

pace with expanding business, however, these are

areas which ordinarily are difficult to reach by

general credit restraint, unless you are willing

to carry that restraint quite far, and then often

there is a considerable lag between cause and ef

fect. The risk of such vigorous restraint, in

the absence of more general misuse of credit by

the economy and of clear evidence of substantial

misuse in these areas, is semi-paralysis of

capital markets at a time when we are counting

on active capital expenditures by private in

dustry and state and local governments to help

maintain economic growth--to help offset possible

declines in those sectors of the economy which

have been the driving force in the upturn of the

past few months.

(e) Another complication in formulating the general

outlines of credit policy at this time is the

need for deficit financing by the Treasury. The

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Treasury will be coming to the market, possibly

in July and October, for approximately $9 billion

of new money, in addition to substantial refund

ings to be managed as of August 15 and December 15.

(f)

This unfortunate Treasury cash borrowing at a time

of high level economic activity and high level in

come, so far as can be seen with any certainty now,

will probably cause a substantial net increase in

bank credit and may be the principal inflationary

influence on the credit side during the last half

of the year. In other words, if the Treasury were

not going to have to come to the banking system for

funds, we might well have nothing more, in the ag

gregate, than the credit demands of seasonal and

secular growth in the private economy.

(g)

This poses a difficult but not unfamiliar problem.

Since the Treasury is a necessitous borrower and

cannot reduce its demands, credit restraint to off

set the possibly inflationary effects of Treasury

borrowing must fall most heavily on the private

economy where such restraint may or may not be needed.

(h) Finally, we have the possible consequences of market

lags and market anticipations. So far as lags are

concerned, we know that a market and an economy which

may have seemed to pass by the amber lights we have

flashed so far, may actually be in process of heeding

So far as antici

our signals after a time interval.

pations are concerned, we know that a market and an

economy, seeing the cumulation of private and Treas

ury demands for credit during the second half of the

year, and projecting our past policy into the future,

2.

may see red before we intend to flash red.

These facts and assumptions suggest to me that we should hold

steady for the next month or six weeks. This does not mean re

versing policy; it does not mean relaxing pressure; it means

3.

preventing further intensification of pressure for the present.

We have had some success in a slow steady application of the

brakes through open market operations followed by a change in the

discount rate. An accentuation of pressure at this time, how

ever, may cause the brakes to begin to grab.

Holding steady would mean free reserves ranging around zero and

interest rates in line with the present discount rate. In the

face of the outlook for reserve funds this would mean that we

would have to become buyers of short-term Treasury securities,

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4.

on balance, after the end of the month.

And unless there

is a change in this situation and in our policy, that would

be pretty much the outlook over the remainder of the year.

The situation which, under an easy money policy, we took

care of by large injections of reserve funds by way of re

ductions in reserve requirements in 1953 and 1954, will have

to be met, to the extent that we believe it necessary to

meet the pressure of demand for bank credit, by modest and

gradual open market operations in the changed circumstances

of 1955. We can then get more tough if the situation seems

to require it.

Such a policy would not rule out some further increase in

market rates of interest later on if and as demands for

credit and capital continue to press on supply. And it would

not rule out later consideration of another increase in the

discount rate, even though we may then be net buyers of Treas

ury securities. But it would rule out, for the present, posi

tive steps to increase credit restraint, or permitting it to

increase by inaction. It would require positive steps to pre

vent the pressure of demands, and of anticipation of future

demands, from making policy more restrictive than the present

economic situation requires.

Mr. Vardaman said that he noted Mr. Sproul's reference to three

areas of credit which might cause concern--real estate credit, consumer

credit, and stock market credit--and he inquired whether Mr.

Sproul implied

that these areas of credit could not be influenced through general credit

controls.

Mr. Sproul responded that these areas of credit could be reached

by general controls but that the use of general controls to reach them

might have to be more restrictive, and might have more effect on the gen

eral economy, than might be required in the absence of more general misuse

of credit in the whole economy.

Mr. Sproul went on to say, in response to

a further question from Mr. Vardaman,

that his comments did not indicate

that the System should be considering the use of selective credit controls

at this time, that the Federal Reserve had only one selective credit control--

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margin requirements--at present, and that while he personally felt that

it might be useful to have other selective credit controls, there was no

need to consider their use at this stage since the System had no author

ity for making them effective.

Chairman Martin stated that Mr. Sproul had given an excellent pre

sentation of the problem that was pointed up

by the economic review and

the charts presented by the staff this morning.

He suggested that the

discussion be divided into two parts, the first to be consideration of

Mr. Sproul's suggestion regarding a change in the wording of the direc

tive from the full Committee to the executive committee so as to eliminate

the instruction to encourage recovery, and the second to be consideration

of the policy to be followed with respect to open market operations be

tween now and the next meeting of the Committee.

Mr. Fulton referred to the wording of the directive and inquired

whether the word "stability" was compatible with "fostering growth" in

the economy; that is, whether "growth" was consistent with the objective

of maintaining a stable level of economic activity.

Mr. Sproul responded that he felt "stable growth" was the kind of

growth the Committee was trying to maintain, that it was not seeking a

"static" economy.

He could see nothing inconsistent between "stability"

and "growth", if that meaning were given to the directive.

Chairman Martin suggested that "orderly growth" would mean a stable

economy, and he added the comment that it was partly a matter of the meaning

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that the Committee wished to read into whatever words it used in writing

its

instructions.

Mr. Robertson stated that, in his opinion, we were not now in the

stage where the Committee ought to be fostering growth.

Growth was in

herent in the whole situation, he said, and the Committee would be better

off if

it

were to take out of its directive words indicating that opera

tions should foster growth and were to leave only the direction that opera

tions should foster stability.

He agreed with Mr. Sproul's suggestion that

words indicating that the Comittee now wished to "encourage recovery"

should be deleted from the directive, since this was no time for the Com

mittee to be encouraging recovery.

He also suggested that some other words

in the present directive were unnecessary.

Mr. Robertson then read a sug

gested revision of the first paragraph of the full Committee's directive

to the executive committee which would instruct the executive committee

to arrange for such transactions for the System account "as may be neces

sary or appropriate in the light of current and prospective economic con

ditions with a view (a)

to relating the supply of funds to the needs of

commerce and business,

(b) to fostering stability in the economy by main

taining conditions in the money market which would avoid unsustainable ex

pansion, (c) to correcting a disorderly situation in the Government securi

ties market, and (d) to the practical administration of the account . . .

Chairman Martin invited other suggestions for change in the direc

tive and Mr. Leach suggested consideration be given to amending clause (b)

of the first paragraph of the Committee's directive to provide that the

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executive committee should arrange for such transactions for the System

account "as may be necessary in the light of current and prospective

economic conditions and the general credit situation of the country, with

a view (a) to relating the supply of funds in the market to the needs of

commerce and business, (b) to fostering growth and stability in the econ

omy by maintaining conditions in the money market that would be consistent

with a high level of economic activity and that would avoid the development

of unsustainable expansion, (c) to correcting a disorderly situation in the

Government securities market, and (d) to the practical administration of the

account . . . ."

Following a rereading of the suggestions by Messrs. Robertson and

Leach, Chairman Martin stated that he would dislike removing from the di

rective the concept of "growth."

This concept, he said, was inherent in

stability, but his view was that it was desirable to have it set forth ex

plicitly in the full Committee's directive.

Mr. Sproul stated that he too would be reluctant to see the policy

directive leave out any reference to growth in the economy.

He felt that

a retention of some word to indicate that the Committee was conscious of

the need for growth in the economy--a word which would reflect the Commit

tee's concern with and interest in that aspect of economic activity--would

be desirable.

Mr. Balderston stated that in view of the present amount of unem

ployment in the economy, he felt the Committee should look on growth as

one of the problems with which the Committee was concerned, although he

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was not greatly concerned with the particular words used so long as the

idea was in the directive.

He also suggested that clause (c) of the full

Committee's directive indicating that operations should be with a view

"to correcting a disorderly situation in

the Government securities market"

implied the existence at this time of a disorderly situation, and he felt

it would avoid any such implication if it were changed to read "to correct

ing disorderly situations in the Government securities market."

Mr.

Shepardson agreed with the latter suggestion, stating that this

clause had struck him as implying the current existence of a disorderly

situation in

the Government securities market which needed correction.

During the foregoing discussion Mr. Vardaman withdrew from the

meeting.

Chairman Martin stated that the Committee should not overlook the

fact that the directive of the full Committee would be published in the

open market policy record.

He also cautioned that changes should not be

made which might be construed as having more significance than was intended.

There followed a further discussion of the suggestions that had

been made during which Mr. Earhart inquired whether much if any change of

policy was contemplated in the Committee's operations at the present time.

It

was the consensus that little

or no change in policy was con

templated at the present time but that a change in wording would be for

the purpose of adapting the directive to the existing situation which no

longer called for encouraging recovery.

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After some further discussion, Chairman Martin suggested that each

of the suggestions made seemed to be driving at the same point but that it

was difficult for the Committee to rewrite a directive which had been care

fully developed over a period of years, on the basis of various considera

tions, some of which were of a legal nature.

The present directive, he

noted, might contain implications which the Committee would not wish to

change without thorough consideration, including advice of counsel and

other members of the staff.

Mr. Thomas referred to Mr. Robertson's suggestion which would re

move from the first part of the full Committee's directive the provision

that operations be in the light of "the general credit situation of the

country" leaving as a general standard only a reference to "current and

prospective economic conditions."

It was Mr. Thomas' view that the phrase

referring to the general credit situation was put in the directive inten

tionally to indicate that consideration was to be given to qualitative

factors in the credit picture, and he felt it might be unfortunate to re

move from the directive the specific indication that the general credit

situation was a consideration in determining operations for the System

Account.

Mr. Mills concurred inthis view, adding the comment that the phrase

was a recognition of the statutory responsibilities of the Open Market Com

mittee.

There was a further discussion of the several suggestions made,

at the conclusion of which Chairman Martin suggested that the least change

5/10/55

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feasible be made in the language of the directive at this meeting, which

would mean taking Mr. Sproul's suggestion that the words "encourage recovery

and" be deleted from clause (b) of the directive that would be issued today,

to make that clause read "to fostering growth and stability in the economy

by maintaining conditions in the money market that would avoid the develop

ment of unsustainable expansion . . . ."

He also suggested that Counsel

be asked to consider the several suggestions made during this discussion,

with a view to submitting for consideration at the next meeting of the full

Committee whatever suggestions for change might seem to be desirable.

Chairman Martin's foregoing sug

gestions were approved unanimously.

Chairman Martin suggested that the Committee next consider the

policy to be followed during the immediate future.

He referred to a sheet

distributed at this meeting showing a pattern of recent and projected re

serve changes which indicated a volume of free reserves during the state

ment weeks ending May 11 and 18 averaging a little over $400 million, to be

followed by a fairly rapid decline in the level of free reserves to a nega

tive position during most of the month of June.

Chairman Martin inquired

of Mr. Sproul whether his suggestions as to open market operations were es

sentially that the Committee should maintain an "even keel" during the next

several weeks.

Mr.

Sproul responded that his suggestion would mean allowing market

forces to have their effect in rapidly taking free reserves out of the mar

ket, following the present temporary surplus of such reserves in the market.

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5/10/55

Mr. Thomas stated that the projections indicated a very easy situa

tion during the current and next succeeding week, and then a gradual tighten

ing through the next several weeks, building up to a negative free reserve

of around one-half billion dollars early in July and again at the end of

August.

Mr. Thomas also referred to differences between the estimates pre

pared at the Board's offices and those prepared at the New York Bank, which

showed a much greater increase in needed reserves.

The widening margin

of "negative free reserves" between the two estimates is mainly attributable

to a fundamental difference in method.

The projections at the Board are

based on rigid assumptions of only the customary seasonal variations with

an estimate allowing for growth in deposits at a 3 per cent annual rate;

whereas the figures prepared at New York are forecasts based on factors

which the Bank expects to occur, such as a more than seasonal increase in

bank credit, deposits, and currency in circulation.

The result is

that the

figures prepared at the New York Bank indicated that about a half billion

of additional reserves would be needed to cover the growth in reserve re

quirements.

Chairman Martin commented that he wished the swings in

the actual

volume of free reserves were not so great, and he inquired of Mr. Roosa as

to the possibility of trying to smooth out some of these swings.

Mr. Roosa stated that the Committee had just had a clear indication

of the problem of smoothing out the swings in free reserves and that the

management of the System account would like to have guidance from the Com

mittee on this particular point.

Yesterday, he said, it

was decided to roll

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over the System account's holdings of bills in the amount of $74 million

even though it

was realized that at this time free reserves were higher

than the Committee wished them to be.

This was a difficult decision to

make, he said, for the reason that the Committee previously had indicated

that System account operations might confuse the market as to System policy

if

the account were to be in and out of the market too frequently.

quently, since the projections made it

Conse

appear that the System account would

be back in the market making outright purchases by the end of May, it was

felt that it

would be confusing if the account showed a runoff in bills and

a reduction in holdings during the current week, when market conditions had

not changed broadly, to be followed later on this month by purchases of bills.

The choice was, on the one hand, whether the account should be in and out

and risk the confusion and the possibility of seeming to buffet the market

from side to side; or whether, on the other hand, it

avoid swings such as had taken and were taking place.

should not attempt to

Mr. Roosa pointed

out that one of the difficulties in using repurchase agreements is that they

can not be used to take up slack unless there previously has been a purchase.

Otherwise,

it

would be necessary to make an outright sale.

said, the Treasury had agreed to "juggle its

Last week, he

calls" and by cancelling one

call, had avoided bringing a large volume of funds into the Treasury which

would have tightened the situation at a time when it

than desired.

was already tighter

Mr. Roosa stated that the present situation highlighted the

complexity of the problem.

From such indicators as the rates on Treasury

5/10/55

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bills,

Federal funds and dealer loans, the market did not appear to be

easy.

On the other hand, the current level of free reserves might be

considered much too high according to the executive committee's instruc

tions.

The System account could have run off bills yesterday or it

could now sell bills, and it

might be that the executive committee today

would wish to instruct the New York Bank to sell bills with the knowledge

that it

would be necessary to buy bills back toward the end of this month.

Mr. Roosa's question was whether the smoothing of operations was of enough

importance to warrant the System account being in and out of the market

on an outright basis at the risk of confusing the market as to System

policy, or whether the Committee would rather permit the wider swings to

occur so long as there was no decided change in the market atmosphere.

Chairman Martin stated that he favored minimum intervention in the

market but that he also thought the System account should try to minimize

the sweeping moves indicated by the projections of free reserves.

Committee was going to look to a level of reserves, it

exercise its

ought to try to

influence to bring about that level.

Mr. Earhart said that he generally favored as little

as possible.

ing it

If the

intervention

However, he wondered why at the time the Committee was find

necessary to buy some bills,

it

provided a favored rate for repur

chase agreements.

Mr. Roosa responded that the fundamental point in the lower repur

chase rate--l. 6 5, compared with a discount rate of 1-3/4--was the feeling

of the New York Bank, in the light of the executive committee's general

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instruction, that as far as possible the account should avoid interven

tion on an outright basis, and the indication at the meeting of the

executive committee on April 26 that it would be preferable to do as

much as possible in adjusting market conditions through the use of re

purchase agreements.

The account management did not wish to go to the

dealers and notify them that it

it

was policy to take repurchase agreements;

seemed preferable to approach them through the market price.

Mr.

Roosa then described the changes in volume of repurchase agreements on

May 4 and 5 which resulted after the rate was lowered to 1.65, stating

that the total repurchase account in those two days came up to around

the $200 million level.

Mr. Roosa expressed the judgment that few, if

any, of these additional repurchase agreements would have been in the

account toward the end of last week if the lower rate had not been made

available.

Making funds available through repurchase agreements meant

that the funds furnished to the market would automatically be taken out

through the repayment of the repurchase agreements, and Mr. Roosa felt

that this was a case in which the use of the lower rate on repurchase

agreements had avoided or minimized intervention by the System account.

Even so, he said, it was the account management's feeling that the volume

of repurchase agreements that had been gotten was not as large as would

have been desirable on some days.

Mr. Thomas noted that the yield on bills last week was low be

cause of two special factors:

the demand for bills by persons who did

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not wish to exchange maturing Treasury securities into the new 15-month

notes, and the general shortage of bills in the market.

In order to put

reserves into the market through repurchase agreements at that time, it

was necessary to put them in at the lower rate since dealers would not

borrow from the Federal Reserve and carry bills or other securities at

1-3/4 per cent when bills were yielding less than 1-1/2 per cent.

He

also noted that outright purchases of securities were made at rates lower

than the repurchase rate of 1.65.

Mr. Mills stated that he would like to suggest reasons why it

would be undesirable and unnecessary to cause the withdrawal of reserves

from the market over the next two weeks,

even though the level of free

reserves will rise to a higher level for a few days than might be other

wise desired.

The reasoning, he said, went back to a fear that the ac

tions of the Committee might become an unstabilizing influence in the

market.

There had been an admirable discussion of the state of the

economy this morning, Mr. Mills said, but any discussion of the economic

situation was of necessity at a static point.

The Committee might wish

to bear closely in mind the "cause and effect" of its

Sproul had put it,

policy, as Mr.

and particularly the sensitivity that seemed to be

developing in the market which might cause a broader range of swings than

was desired.

Mr. Mills then made a statement substantially as follows:

Determination of an appropriate short-run open market

policy is being complicated by a combination of market condi

tions and extraneous influences. As to the latter, one needs

only to read the current flow of financial and business news

5/10/55

letters to be aware that investors' thinking is troubled

by the past course of System actions and their interpreted

foreshadowing of future System policy actions.

A cumulative investor judgment seems to be in the making

that the System foresees enough inflationary danger in the

rapid pace of the business recovery as to deserve both a con

tinuing and a mounting policy of credit restriction. This

attitude also seems to have been abetted and aggravated by

short-selling on the part of U. S. Government security deal

ers as well as by comment from financial market news writers

that a restrictive credit policy carries only the meaning of

higher interest rates and lower prices for U. S. Government

securities.

The unsatisfactory reception given to the Treasury's new

issue of 2 per cent bonds of August 15, 1956, has further dis

turbed investment sentiment by raising the thought that the

new issue will not be able to hold its par price on the market.

Furthermore, market analysts apparently have been in doubt

whether the System's direct purchases of $97 million of U. S.

Treasury bills were intended to represent support of the

Treasury's financing operation or a signal that the System was

indicating its readiness to supply, within reason, such new

reserves as will be necessary to support legitimate credit

growth through the remainder of 1955.

To resolve the doubts that have arisen, it would seem

best that the System should sit tight for the near future and

ride along with the volume of reserves now in the market, even

though natural factors may raise the supply over the next two

to three weeks to a level higher than might otherwise be con

sidered suitable to a System policy of credit restraint. It

is fitting that presently outstanding repurchase agreements be

allowed to drain that volume of reserves from the market, but

any action beyond that to withdraw reserves would be ill-con

sidered in that the market would be led to the conclusion that

the reserves previously supplied through direct Treasury bill

purchases had only been intended to give support to the Treas

ury's financing operation and not as a signal of the System's

future policy intentions. In fact, it is fortunate that the

$97 million of Treasury bills that were purchased outright will

be disclosed in two rather than in one of the Weekly Condition

Reports of the Federal Reserve Banks, in that such action will

be taken as confirming the System's intention to supply the

market with new reserves as needed and not to subject the mar

ket to any further reserve pressure at this time and unless

business expansion should unexpectedly tend to get out of hand.

5/10/55

-21-

During this period that any action is withheld from

withdrawing the reserves previously supplied by direct Treas

ury bill

purchases, natural factors will on estimate intro

duce a considerable volume of new reserves into the market.

Inasmuch, however, as alert market observers will be able

to trace such additional reserves to temporary factors,

there is only a minimum possibility of any erroneous inter

pretation of System policy suggesting a change toward ease

and, consequently, there would seem to be little

likelihood

of any important price reaction in the U. S. Government

securities market to the temporary appearance of a relative

surplus of reserves.

As a practical matter, it is quite

probable that such surplus of reserves as develops will serve

a worthwhile purpose of lubricating the market over the May

17th payment date for the new Treasury 2 per cent notes of

August 15, 1956.

Relatively plentiful reserves available to the market

at that time should assist the adjustments to be made by in

vestors in the reinvestment of the proceeds of maturing U. S.

Treasury savings notes and the proceeds of the maturing 1-1/8

per cent Treasury certificates of indebtedness that also come

due on May 17th and are not offered for exchange into the new

2 per cent Treasury notes. A heavy attrition has occurred in

the maturing 1-1/8 per cent Treasury certificates of indebted

ness and, as indicated, plentiful reserves available to the

market as of May 17th should be helpful in smoothing out rein

vestment programs even though the impact of the attrition for

a very brief period might inject a substantial amount of new

reserves into the market via a rapid reduction in Treasury

Here, too, alert mar

balances at the Federal Reserve Banks.

ket observers will not be apt to misinterpret the situation

but, instead, will regard it as a normal phenomenon and one

which the System has permitted as a means of facilitating re

investment programs.

All told, therefore, there are seemingly good and suf

ficient reasons for the System to have a hands-off policy in

the market over the next two to three weeks, other than al

lowing repurchase agreements to terminate without renewal.

Chairman Martin said that the thing he questioned in Mr. Mills'

statement was whether the market was really as alert to these changes as

Mr. Mills seemed to think.

Even if

it

was, Chairman Martin said, he

thoughtthe Committee should try to do something to get the market more

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5/10/55

accustomed to a more normal type of operation.

It was hard for him

to read into the modest changes that had taken place in the supply of

free reserves as much as Mr. Mills seemed to read into them.

Mr. Williams stated that information coming to his attention

indicated that the market was interpreting the situation about as Mr.

Mills had suggested.

Mr. Earhart stated that he had had several comments to the effect

that the System account's purchases of bills last week and the lower rate

on repurchase agreements represented "support of the Government securities

market."

Mr. Robertson doubted the need for a reduction in the repurchase

rate, but he approved purchases of bills in order to get free reserves

back on "an even keel" in line with the thinking of the executive commit

tee at its meeting on April 26.

If the policy was still one of maintain

ing an even keel, which he thought it should be, Mr. Robertson stated

that the only solution at this stage was to sell securities and to absorb

reserves.

This course would be easily understood by anyone trying to

understand System policy.

If what the committee was trying to do was to

maintain approximately a zero level of free reserves in order to maintain

modest restraint, its actions ought to speak for it.

Therefore, he ad

vocated that the Committee now absorb some of the free reserves in the

market.

Chairman Martin stated that that got back to an analysis of the

5/10/55

-23

projections of free reserves.

If

the System account had been more active

in the market there would not have been such wide swings, he said.

The

justification for stepping in--no matter what the interpretations as to

policy--was that the Committee had tried to maintain an even keel during

the period of Treasury financing.

Stepping into the market did not make

the Treasury issue a success, Chairman Martin said, and the psychological

influence of the action could not be accurately evaluated.

However, in

his view the action was intended to restore to the market the free re

serves that the committee had anticipated would be in the market at the

time the decision was made at the meeting on April 26 to maintain an even

keel during the period of the Treasury financing.

Mr. Roosa stated that the swings in

free reserves recently had

been so great as to make us tend to forget the timing.

At the time the

repurchase rate was lowered to 1.65 on May 4--and the System account in

determining how it

should proceed throughout the day was trying to read

the Committee's mind--the management of the account was aware of the fact,

on the basis of developments on Monday and Tuesday, that the statement

for the week ending May 4 would show negative average free reserves well

in excess of $100 million.

This situation had developed largely out of

unexpected swings in the Treasury's balance.

As indicated before, the

Treasury had been persuaded to cancel one of its

calls for $283 million

of funds which otherwise would have been taken out of the market.

factor helped reduce the $100 million figure but it

still

This

appeared that

there would be less than zero free reserves for the week ending May 4

5/10/55

-24

although in the end the average for the week was plus $12 million.

Mr.

Roosa went on to say that this small plus of free reserves resulted only

after action had been taken to lower the repurchase rate to 1.65, in

order to do as much as possibly could be done in a very temporary way.

Mr. Robertson inquired of Mr. Roosa what were the factors that

had led to the judgment that repurchase agreements would not have been

entered into if the rate had been maintained at 1-3/4 per cent instead

of having been reduced to 1.65 on May 4.

Mr. Roosa responded that this was just a matter of judgment at

the time.

As the System account saw the situation from dealers' reports

coming in, telling their money position and what they might be doing, it

was the account's understanding that during the day on May 4 repurchase

agreements would largely be taken up.

Also, that dealers would not be

ready to make any new repurchase agreements on rights (which was the

form of securities they had most readily available) at the 1-3/4 per cent

rate.

This was because dealers could get funds at out-of-town points at

rates as low as one per cent.

Chairman Martin stated that the Committee could learn a great

deal from a study of this period.

A number of contributing factors such

as the Treasury's calls had caused difficulties.

He felt it desirable

to have had a discussion of the projections of free reserves which have

been so wide. He again said that, if the Committee were to talk about

some level of free reserves, it probably should assume more responsibility

for evening out these wide fluctuations than it has at times in the past.

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5/10/55

Mr. Thomas stated that the actual day to day fluctuations had

been in the past, and would be in the future, much wider that the figures

shown on the projection sheet, which were weekly averages and also that

actual weekly fluctuations would be wider than projections, which assume

no change in Treasury balances and only average changes in other items.

He also commented that efforts were being made to work out with the Treas

ury a means whereby the influence of erratic changes in the Treasury's

balance on the volume of reserves could be reduced.

Chairman Martin then reverted to the policy to be followed during

the next few weeks.

Mr.

He said that he did not share the apprehension of

Mills regarding signals given to the market by changes in the volume

of free reserves.

He did think it

middle of the stream, it

true that if

the Committee was in the

should not change signals.

Chairman Martin sug

gested that all members of the Committee study the period we had just

been through and think about the suggestion that, if

some level of re

serves was desired, the System should try to smooth out wide fluctuations

so as to come closer to having that desired level of reserves.

Mr.

Sproul stated that as he saw it,

the Committee was now aiming

at a level of reserves around zero, not expecting to be able to pinpoint

any particular figure.

During the week ending May 4 we ended up with

average free reserves of $12 million, which was as near as possible to

coming out where the Committee aimed.

He thought that the Committee

could say that the mistake or error in the projections was due to unfore

seen developments.

Mr. Sproul then referred to projections for the weeks

5/10/55

-26

ending May 11, May 18, and May 25.

After the end of May, it

was antici

pated that there would be almost a continuous negative free reserve posi

tion, sometimes in

substantial amounts.

Mr. Sproul said that he would

prefer to have reserves taken out of the market during the next statement

week from repayments of repurchase agreements, and to allow market factors

to do what they could to reduce reserves during the following week.

By

the end of the month, the projections indicated that free reserves might

be down to the range of around zero.

Chairman Martin stated that this program seemed appropriate for

the immediate future.

He noted that this discussion was in a meeting of

the full Committee and that the policy to be set would apply for a period

of approximately six weeks until the next meeting of the full Committee.

Mr.

Sproul stated that on the basis of the projections prepared

at the Board's offices as well as those prepared at the New York Bank,

it

should be contemplated that some purchases of bills might be necessary dur

ing the period between now and the next meeting of the full Committee.

He

suggested that the instruction from the full Committee include that pos

sibility even though no positive direction were to be given.

Mr. Mills stated that he would concur in Mr. Sproul's reasoning.

Mr. Robertson said that he was in

general agreement but that he

thought the Committee should get the level of free reserves down.

natural forces would do this, fine.

rities

If

If

not, he would favor selling secu

from the System account in the immediate future.

The main thing,

he said, was to keep in mind that the Committee's policy was one of moder

ate restraint.

He inquired whether there was any thought that repurchase

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5/10/55

agreements should be made available from here on out at a rate below

that of the discount rate.

Mr.

Sproul responded that he did not think so, that he thought

the repurchase agreements at the lower rate would go off today except

with respect to repurchase agreements based on "rights", and that after

today, if

the repurchase window is

open, the rate would be 1-3/4 per

cent.

In response to Chairman Martin's inquiry as to what additional

instructions were needed, Mr. Riefler stated that he thought nothing

additional was required from the full Committee.

Thereupon, upon motion duly made

and seconded, the following directive

to the executive committee was ap

proved unanimously:

The executive committee is directed, until otherwise

directed by the Federal Open Market Committee, to arrange for

such transactions for the System open market account, either

in the open market or directly with the Treasury (including

purchases, sales, exchanges, replacement of maturing securi

ties, and letting maturities run off without replacement), as

may be necessary, in the light of current and prospective

economic conditions and the general credit situation of the

country, with a view (a) to relating the supply of funds in

the market to the needs of commerce and business, (b) to

fostering growth and stability in the economy by maintaining

conditions in the money market that would avoid the develop

ment of unsustainable expansion, (c) to correcting a disor

derly situation in the Government securities market, and

(d) to the practical administration of the account; provided

that the aggregate amount of securities held in the System

account (including commitments for the purchase or sale of

securities for the account) at the close of this date, other

than special short-term certificates of indebtedness purchased

from time to time for the temporary accommodation of the Treas

ury, shall not be increased or decreased by more than

$2,000,000,000.

5/10/55

-28

The executive committee is further directed, until other

wise directed by the Federal Open Market Committee, to arrange

for the purchase direct from the Treasury for the account of

the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (which Bank shall have

discretion, in cases where it seems desirable, to issue par

ticipations to one or more Federal Reserve Banks) of such

amounts of special short-term certificates of indebtedness as

may be necessary from time to time for the temporary accom

modation of the Treasury, provided that the total amount of

such certificates held at any one time by the Federal Reserve

Banks shall not exceed in the aggregate $2,000,000,000.

Mr. Robertson suggested that the Committee bear in mind the pos

sibility of an increase in the discount rate, if additional pressure on

the market was needed during the next few weeks.

Mr. Balderston stated that he shared this view.

Mr. Riefler noted that in accordance with the action of the full

Committee at its meeting on March 2, 1955, a procedure had been made ef

fective by the executive committee at its meeting on March 29, 1955,

whereby the Federal Reserve Bank of New York was authorized to purchase

bankers' acceptances up to an amount of $25 million.

It was understood

that the authorization for this procedure would continue in effect until

changed by the Committee.

Mr.

Sproul stated that he would like to make one fact clear.

All

of us, he said, including himself, were inclined to get into the habit

of thinking that we controlled the whole situation when actually the Fed

eral Reserve controlled only a part of the picture.

with its

The Federal Reserve,

monetary and credit controls, was not in control of the whole

economic situation, and it should not get into the habit of thinking

that it was.

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5/10/55

Chairman Martin concurred heartily with this statement,

Mr. Leach inquired whether the executive committee had any author

ity to take any action in a period of Treasury financing which would be

intended solely to assist in making a Treasury offering a success, or

whether that would require action by the full Committee,

as was his under

standing.

Chairman Martin responded that his understanding was the same as

Mr. Leach's.

Mr.

Riefler stated that in accordance with the understanding at

the meeting of the full Committee on March 2, Mr. Vest, General Counsel,

had prepared a draft of a resolution which dealt with actions that would

have to be taken in the event the full Committee were to decide to

abolish the executive committee, and a letter transmitting this draft of

resolution was being distributed to all members of the Committee today.

Mr. Robertson suggested that at the next meeting of the full

Committee,

further study be given to the form of certain continuing

policies relating to operations for the System open market account, along

the lines discussed at the meeting on March 2, and it

was understood that

this matter would be placed on the agenda for consideration at the June

meeting.

Thereupon the meeting adjourned.

Secretary.